Artists Magazine - USA (2020-04)

70 Artists Magazine April 2020

but helping with an algebra problem

or driving to an accordion lesson is

also important. The son of an artist,

however, knows when not to intrude,

and MacGillis smiles as she recalls

times when she has sensed him in the

doorway and, later, realized that he

chose not to interrupt.

As every artist knows, not every-

one is so understanding, and so

MacGillis provides clear boundaries

with friends and others. She must

defend her painting time in order to

produce the work shown by Hoadley

Gallery, in Lenox, Mass.; Blue Heron

Gallery in Wellfleet, Mass.; and

Galerie Andreas Lendl, in Graz,

Austria. Every summer she has exhi-

bitions in those places, and most

summers she returns to the United

States to connect with the galleries

and teach workshops on using earth

pigments. She also exhibits her work

in Italy, including a 2018 show at the

U.S. Embassy in Rome.

On the mornings when she has

less impetus to jump into painting,

warming the glue to create gesso is

a simple, absorbing task that keeps

her committed to her studio time.

Likewise, grinding pigments or mix-

ing each powder with oil to create

her palette helps calm her mind. The

smooth movements of scraping the

powders into the oil with a favorite

palette knife (No. 1710, from Zecchi,

of course) leads to reflections on the

practice of painting.

DEEP BREATH OF PLEIN AIR

MacGillis paints her landscapes on site. “I feel that my presence in the landsape

is fundamental to the painting,” she says. “The heat, the quiet or the sound of

wind or waves, all contribute to my work. In other words, my interpretation of

the landscape isn’t just visual but something that involves all the senses.”

MACGILLIS’ 2020 WORKSHOPS

March 13–15: Painting the Still Life With the Italian Earth Palette; Kunstfabrik

Wien, Vienna, Austria

June 4–14: Painting the Landscape With the Italian Earth Palette; Umbria, Italy

July 7–9: Painting the Still Life With the Italian Earth Palette; Concord Art

Association, Mass.

July 11–12: Figure Painting With the Italian Earth Palette; IS183 Art School,

Stockbridge, Mass.

July 19–21: Figure Painting With the Italian Earth Palette; Black Pond Studio,

Rehoboth, Mass.

Sept. 11–20: Painting the Landscape With the Italian Earth Palette; Umbria, Italy

MacGillis’ studio

The view outside

MacGillis’ studio

Sicily